


The Classroom

by Jus



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Prometheus (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Babies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuteness overload, Deaf Clint Barton, F/M, Genderbent!Phil, Tags to be added, canon disability
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-08 02:25:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3191807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jus/pseuds/Jus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil is two. And a half. And she goes to a new class.<br/>She's a bit afraid, because she's shy and doesn't talk and her old friends won't be there. But hopefully, she's gonna make new friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I had this AU idea while RPing on twitter, and so I owe most of my ideas to my friends. I started writing, and then thought, why not put this up here?  
> Here for the warnings: certain characters as babies follow the vision we had of them. Phil is a girl because I currently am RPing this character as such. The Original Character, Mr. Samuel 'Sam' Dewitt, is the one of my friend (thanks much, Nick!) and my version of "Agent Galaga" is Mr. Benjamin 'Ben' Jones, also from a friend's (thanks, Ellis!)  
> That was all! I hope you'll have as much fun reading this than i had to write it!!

This year started with Change.  
SHIELD Co. went down, and with it, all its employees. Including the Coulson couple, who were lucky enough to be high up in the company. Nick Fury, the owner, and his CEO, Maria Hill, were good friends of the two accountants, and recommended them to their own friend, Howard Stark.  
Said Mr. Stark was, to the contrary of SHIELD Co., flourishing. His high-tech corporation, Stark Industries, just made an alliance with its main concurrent, Weyland Industries, and were hiring in mass. The two businessmen even had set up a preschool and a kindergarten for all of their employees who could need it.

And that’s how Phil, 2 ½  and springy pigtails, entered Mr. DeWitt’s classroom.  
Of course, she was only a very little girl and didn’t understand any of that. She just knew her home wasn’t the same, and that her friends (May and Garrett, older and terrifying; Jasper, quiet like her; Fitzsimmons, inseparable; Skye and Grant, chaotic; Trip and Bobbi and Lance, funny) wouldn’t be around anymore. Now, Phil was quite intelligent, but had always done things slowly: her teeth had come out late, she barely talked, too shy and quiet, and could walk very well –if only one was holding her hand.  
And wasn’t that classroom the hugest change of her short life. A bunch of kids –most of them noisy and boisterous- was already in the class. The teacher was an energetic young man, and he talked a lot with Mommy as she looked around.  
A bigger boy, blond and all pretty, saluted her with a happy “Hi!” but true to her shy self, Phil stubbornly stuck her thumb in her mouth and hid behind Mommy’s leg. She could see that most of the kids were slowly quieting down, looking with more or less interest at her. A lot of them were older, even if just for a few months, and two seemed particularly big; but a bunch of babies was taking up a big space in the back. She heard the teacher say, “My colleague will be there in a bit, but you can also talk with him tonight..?” and Mommy answering that she had to go. She kissed Phil’s head, like always, and gave a big bag of sweets to Mr. Dewitt, “for the kids to share.”

And then Phil had to clutch her new teacher’s trousers instead of Mommy’s leg in order to stand up. He gathered all the kids who were old enough, and explained, “Everyone, this is Philippa. You can call her Phil?” She nodded shyly, so he went on, “She’s new, so you’ll all be nice to her, yes?” General agreement noises. “Good. Barney, Meredith,” he addressed the two big kids, a boy and a girl, “ you are the oldest, will you please show her around and hel-”  
“I do eet, Mistah Deevit,” cut off a blond boy, looking very serious in his grey uniform. Grunt from the teacher.  
“Fine, David,” the boy stepped forwards with a big grin a bit scary and held his hand out for her to take, “but you be nice!”  
“He is never nice,” answered the big girl, Meredith, and Phil thought she must be David’s sister, because they look alike.

Phil would gladly disagree with her. David was holding her hand gently, and didn’t tug at her like some kids would’ve done, but walked at her pace. Soon enough, all the kids were back to their usual activities, and David helped her avoid four battling toddlers –three boys and a red-headed girl- and turned to her, “Whatchu like to do?”  
She pointed to the drawing table, and he nodded, quite satisfied with her answer, even if he scowled when Meredith took a seat just as they arrived. A curly-haired boy was already drawing and doing his letters, and welcomed her with a soft “hullo, Phil, ‘m Bruce”. She waved at him, but his voice made a second boy, the pretty blond one from earlier, perk up, and she quickly sat with David’s help to avoid his overwhelming enthusiasm.  David took a seat next to her, shuffling away from his sister, and then there was silence as all of them concentrated on their works of art.  
Until an assured voice pierced her focus on her bright yellow sun, “Hi, Pheel! Am Barney.” The boy might’ve been five, and was handing her a flower, “Welcome here!” She stared at it, until he shook it a bit, and she hesitantly took it, a thumb back in her mouth to make clear she wouldn’t speak, but nodded her thanks. He chuckled, “You’re coot. How old’re you?” She held up two fingers, and he kissed her cheek. Phil scrambled back, a bit surprised and all flushed.  
“Don’t wowwy, Barnee kisses evyone,” told David, ever so helpful.  
“You just jealous, David,”Meredith snickered.  
Her little brother, it was sure now, she could see they were wearing the same uniforms, simply shrugged. A little voice peeped up, “Bahnee, ish Phiw pwetty?” Her cheeks went even pinker as she stared down from her chair to see one of the four earlier wrestlers standing next to the biggest boy. Barney huffed, “And that’s Clint, he’s my brother. Say hi, stupeed.” Phil nodded, waving at the boy, who proudly wore a band-aid on his nose, and who waved back, whining, “Am not shtupeed!”

As she instantly liked David, Phil instantly liked the two brothers. She smiled a bright smile of hers, and snapped to attention as Mr. Dewitt approached them, another man trailing in his wake. The other man was blonde, and looked very serious in a sweater vest and sporting glasses on his nose. Several kids, Clint included, were already squealing with joy as he sat on the floor to be at their level.“Hi, I’m Mr. Jones,” he said in a light voice. “You are Phil, right? Nice to meet you.” He shook her tiny hand after she nodded curtly, smiling. And then tipped over as an overexcited boy threw himself at the teacher. Everyone chuckled as he played dead on the floor, Phil following everyone in the fit of giggles. Mr. Jones sat back up, “Now, Thor, I think you have homework to show to Mr. Dewitt, don’t you?” and as quick as that, he was free of the bundle of energy that was the kid, only to look at Phil.  
“Who gave you that flower, young girl?” Oh no. Was it wrong? She didn’t want to have troubles so soon, and… “It’s very pretty. Barney, is it from you?”  
“Yeah!” the boy gloated, and his little brother yelled, “I chowsed it! You a liaw, Bahnee!”  
After a moment of confusion for Phil, but which seemed to make a lot of sense to the other children, Barney apologized to Clint and the latter climbed up on the chair next to Phil to pluck the flower out of her fingers, and in her hair. Next to them, David scowled as Barney yelled something at another kid and ran to him.  
“That’s nowt how you doweet! Flowews must stay in da gwound.” Said David.  
“It’s meaned for pretty people,” argued his sister, “like Phil and not you.”

The cold glare the boy sent her way made Phil wonder if he really was as nice as he seemed. Next to her, Clint pouted, sharing his sadness with the whole table. Bruce looked uneasily at Meredith, but soon enough, Mr. Jones was scowling.  
“Meredith, present your excuses to your brother.”  
“But he _isn’t_ pretty!”  
“Meredith Vickers, apologize to David or so help me.”  
The blonde categorically refused, huffing and turning back to her drawing. Mr. Jones sighed, and took the girl away. She rolled her eyes as she got up, clutching her drawing in a hand and crayons in the other, and went to sat in a corner of the room, her teacher talking to her.  
Phil had looked at the scene with great interest, waiting for an outburst like Grant and Skye would’ve done, but nothing came. David didn’t cry nor yell at his sister, and Meredith followed Mr. Jones calmly if begrudgingly. She looked around her, but only Clint seemed to be as upset by it as she was. She reached up to her hair –swaying and immediately balanced by Clint- to free the flower from her right pigtail and hand it to David. He looked at her, surprised.  
“Fo meh? You should keepeet, Pheel. I am sure Cleent-”  
“Youw can haf it too, Dafeed. I sink Phiw wonna say youw pweety,” said the boy, scratching at his band-aid. David took the flower from Phil’s fingers, gently, and put it in his chest pocket with a slight smirk.  
Said Phil nodded, and tugged at David’s sleeve, and then pointed at the crayon pot when he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.  
“Can’t you speek? You is two…”  
“I sink she too sly.”  
“Shy, Clint,” corrected Bruce from his spot, with a nearly perfect pronunciation.  
Clint waved his hand, like it shouldn’t matter. “She juss wan the cwayons, Dafeed.”

Phil nodded again, puppy eyes and little pleading smile, and beamed at the blond, older boy as he handed her the pot. She took a bright blue one, starting to color the sky around her sun. Clint grabbed another just like hers and helped her. After some time, seeing that David was getting bored, they left the drawing unfinished, Clint uneasily writing their names in messy capital letters (Clint and Fil) on the blank side, and climbed down the chair.  
“Dafeed, Phiw have to shee the ozers!”  
He agreed with a huff, “You take her, they’re too noisee.”  
Clint smiled at her and clasped their hands as David got away to pick up a book and seat next to the babies, who were mostly silent. Clint babbled, slurring even more his words in his hurry, and Phil thought she understood that the blond, pretty and overeager boy that made her very shy (more than usual, that is) was Steve (probably, because Shteefe didn’t sound like a name to her).

Clint’s friends were all older than her, except for a black-haired baby girl who seemed to follow him everywhere. The only other girl was the one who had been battling with Clint earlier, and huffed a “Nat” when they did the ‘tell your name’ thing. The daydreaming boy who was standing on her right was presented as Tony by the others, as he simply ignored her to run to Bruce, yelling he had found the solution. Which solution, that was a mystery for all children.  
Clint pushed her towards the Thor kid, who gave her a big hug and lifted her off the ground a bit, and warmly welcomed her as she giggled. He talked a lot, and within a minute, she learned that he had a little brother in the other class, who was her age and didn’t talk much either, and maybe they should meet and get along together, that be great, wouldn’t it? She shook her head, there were enough people in this classroom to fill her whole life. He seemed a bit sad at that, but another very talkative boy took his place in front of her, “’m James, bot I prefer Bucky, ‘m Steve bestie!” His eyes had the spark of mischief, and he gave her a very big grin that made her almost as uneasy as Barney’s flower. A black kid huffed, rolling his eyes, and handed his hand, that she shook as he told her to call him Sam.

Phil looked around the room, a bit overwhelmed, but everyone seemed happy and no one had been mean to her, so she assumed everything would be fine.  
Maybe Change wasn’t as scary as it seemed.


	2. Stars watching over us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David is a complaining little ball of... jealousy, but also cuteness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help meee. This is eating me aliiiive. By the way, I decided to write the chapters from the kids' different perspectives.  
> Also, another kid make a quick apparition. Have fun at David's grumblings and criticism.

David parted his hair carefully, not even swaying on the little stool he was on to face the mirror correctly. The small school bathroom was quiet, empty but for him. The little boy smirked at his own reflection, he liked being spotless. Not like all these terrifying kids that were on his class.  
(He hadn’t asked to go on the other one just because he knew it was even worse there.)  
Some of them were actually _fine_ , Bruce for example, and Phil. And then, the Barton brothers who were not treating him any differently like some would, so he accepted their quite disgusting habits. And tried to correct them. He hadn’t been successful a lot up to this day.  
But since Phil’s arrival, two weeks ago or so, Clint had been quieter. He usually ran everywhere and whined a lot, to get attention. Father said that it was because he couldn’t hear good. David tried to play with him a lot, but Clint kept talking to him, very slurred. And he seemed to like him, a lot, getting excited and slurring his speech even more. David didn’t like not understanding. Clint got angry. The miracle with Phil was that she didn’t speak. Not a word. So Clint didn’t talk to her, but tagged along wherever David and she would go.

Because he had proposed his help to take care of the little girl, and she had taken a liking to him. He liked being helpful. She couldn’t stand alone, and even less walk, and sat when he let go of her hand. It had proven to be a problem, so she had decided to grip his sweater or cardigan instead.  
What he didn’t like, though, was how his sister and Natasha were too happy to have another girl around, and how James smiled all pretty and charm to her. Barney was fine, because he actually didn’t annoy her, and even told James to stop talking to her so much because it made her cry. And also because Barney did that to everyone, the talking and kissing cheeks and play pretend lovers or whatever. Even _Meredith_ liked that when he was doing it. And Phil wasn’t too upset by it, so he didn’t say anything.

What didn’t change was his dislike for the teacher. Mr. Dewitt was a loathe-able man, ever since he had picked Meredith as a favourite.  
(David would really have liked getting a small, quiet corner for himself too, but no, that treatment was reserved to Meredith whenever they fought. It was unfair.)  
And so, he made his liking for Mr. Jones very clear. To be honest, most children preferred him, because he was the one distributing the food and not the one they did letters and numbers with. Also, he dressed all proper and had glasses, when Mr. Dewitt preferred sporting jeans and comfy sweaters. David always dressed proper, too, like his Father wanted Meredith and him to do, and he was careful to always be clean and presentable. The very contrary of Tony, his Father’s friend’s son, who was as rich as them but way more carefree. Tony liked Legos and mud.  
Ew.

When he arrived that day, all seemed very calm. It wasn’t often a good sign, but apparently, that was because Mr. Jones was showing everyone how to safely play with the babies. Clint was already hugging the little Kate, seated cross-legged with her on his lap. Phil was standing clutching Barney’s pullover, the boy’s arm around her shoulder as he spoke softly to her. David shrugged and crouched next to Cassie, the smallest one and petted her hair, happy for the little bubbling the baby produced. Further away, America was crawling her way to Clint, and Natasha and Bruce were sitting next to William and Theodore (what horrible names, he always thought when hearing them).  
He joined Phil and Barney, grinning as the little girl squealed to grab his leg, and said a quiet, if triumphant, “Hi” to the bigger boy. Who wasn’t amused and was sullenly looking at Phil.  
“Hallo, Phil. How awe youw today?” he tried, like every other day, in a soft voice. She didn’t answer, once again, but beamed at him. He shook his head a bit. She was really cute, a bit like a doll.  
“Wha’ hairdo d’ya like most?” Barney asked loudly, as to be noticed, and Phil looked lost. “Youw hair, Pheel, how d’ya like it?”  
It had occurred to David that Barney liked Phil’s hair a lot, because he often petted it and played with it, but that was clearly a way of getting her for him. He squinted. Phil had let go with a hand, and, wobbly on her legs but still standing, showed two fingers to Barney.  
“Pigtails?” She shook her head. “Braids?” She nodded. Barney was elated. “Can do ‘em! Youw want’em, Philly?”  
David ticked at the nickname, even more as Phil looked up to him, askance in her eyes. He patted her head, “Youw bettah have cleen ‘ands, Barnee.”  
“So do!” He thrust his hands in David’s face to see, and indeed they looked okay. The blond boy shrugged. Phil let go completely, Barney catching her swiftly. David felt angry, a bit, because Phil was supposed to stay with him, and prefer him. But then he saw her smile widen as Barney hoisted her up in his arms with all his will. Her arms closed around his neck and he used his to support her, the little girl then assured enough to wave wordlessly at David.  
“See youw, Pheel. Have fun with Barnee.”  
“Will keep her safe, dun worry, Daveed,” nodded Barney with confidence, trotting uneasily to the chairs and sitting Phil on one of them.  
David watched from afar as Barney asked Natasha for her hair brush, and got hairbands from Phil’s delicate wrist. He turned away as Barney babbled to the little girl while brushing her hair slowly. Clint had joined them, making sure Kate was safe as he made her walk up to his brother and friend. He decided it was better hanging around Bruce for now, because he really wanted quiet and Bruce was definitely the quietest of them all. Except Phil, but when you’re in Rome and all that.

It was actually a nice morning, and they just spent it practicing letters and additions together –his lettering was nearly perfect now, but Bruce really had a better level in math. The curly-haired boy was showing off his skills with what he called multiplication. David thought he had understood quite a bit as he heard Bruce sing-songing quietly a table, whatever that meant, but he knew that at three and a half, it was a bit too early to ask about that. Especially if he had to ask Mr. Dewitt.  
Phil was soon back with him, each side of her head sporting a lovely braid. David praised them, looking for an imperfection, but he apparently knew his business and the hairdo was nearly perfect. He nearly wanted to untie the hairbands and brush her hair free again, but she looked too proud of them. She had cried once, last Friday, and he had hated it. The reason escaped him now, his childish mind focusing on more pressing matters, like how his stomach was starting to rumble. David didn’t eat the collation of 10am, because he was never hungry then , but then he was starving by noon.

Lunch was fine –he actually liked carrots and rice and was allowed his smoothie. Phil was back with him by that time, happily spooning her food and eating the banana Barney cut for her. A bit further away, the other class was excessively noisy, even for that exciting time that was lunch. He didn’t like the other class at all- the kids were always battling and yelling, their teachers were too nice. Mr. Jones was frowning during all that time, and he did the same. Phil, however, looked at them with interest over her yogurt; David just hoped all that activity would wear them down for nap time; especially the Pietro kid, who, at Phil’s age, had already learned to run everywhere at a very fast pace. He wanted calm, because it was his turn to nap with Phil.

Barney had tried to steal her away from him starting day one, and David had fought hard battles of glaring to have the little girl around most of the time, unless she wanted to go with the older boy. But nap time had escaped this rule: Phil _loved_ napping with Barney. So they had decided soon enough that she’d do one day with one, the other boy getting her the next. David had thought Barney would get annoyed, at some point, by the bundle of warmth and oversweet smells. But no such luck. Clint joined them, as he usually slept with his brother, and Phil had taken a liking in using Barney as a mattress. The sight was adorable, and David resented it. He wasn’t sure he was as nice as the brothers were to her, but he sure did his best, and he thought it was quite okay, since Phil spend a good lot of time with him. He was kind of happy he made Steve slightly uneasy, because the little girl was very curious, yet shy about him. Barney, who was good friends with James, kept the little flirty boy at bay, and for that he was grateful.

Mr. Dewitt looked at them strangely, though. David knew he didn’t like him much (feeling reciprocated), but something was off. He couldn’t possibly know that David was slowly gaining power among his classmates to push them to love Mr. Jones better. That was his secret. He turned to Phil, who was wriggling on her baby-chair.  
“So. Who youw like most?” he blurted out, sheepish.  
She looked at him with a frown, before patting his cheek. He felt said cheek warm up, still very happy about his designation when she pointed at the brothers, some seats away from them.  
“Tanks,” he said with a tiny smile, “but I was ask abot the teashers.”  
His heart sank in his chest, his smile turning down in the same movement when she happily pointed to Mr. Dewitt. Something was wrong. He didn’t deny her the right to oppose his own likings, but said a bit harshly, “We dun point, Pheel, that impolite.”  
After that moment, the lunch arrived to its end. Mr. Jones helped her out her chair, setting her down on her feet as she grabbed for David’s hand, hers sticky with the yogurt’s sugar. By the time they were back in the classroom, she was yawning and demanding to be picked up, which he couldn’t do, being barely bigger than her. He sat with her while the teachers, helped by the bigger kids, got the mattresses out. He held her loosely, petting her hair as she fell asleep on his lap. Phil had stuck her thumb in her mouth –she hadn’t listened to him for all the times he had told her not to do that- and clung to his sweater with her other hand. She half-awoke to get to their usual place, cuddling up to him instantly with a sigh. David had never seen any child or baby sleep so calmly. The teachers turned the lights off and closed the stores, letting the darkness cover the children. He smiled and put a protective arm around her tiny baby-like frame, falling asleep with her hair brushing his nose. Above them, the fluorescent stars they had put up on the walls and ceiling last year started to glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! I hope you had fun reading this. I forgot to tell on the first chapter, but I'm not a native speaker, so if you spot mistakes, please tell me and I'll erase them ! Next chapter should be Barney's P.O.V.


	3. Hush Hush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney likes Phil a lot, and makes a discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pheeeew. I'm quite busy these days, but enjoy!!

Barney didn't understand people well. They changed all the time, and it seriously had started to get annoying. He didn't have the time, or the will to memorize _everything_. A boy of 5 had so much more interesting things to do, you wouldn't have thought.  
Adults weren't the same as kids, girls not the same as boys, and within those categories, people changed too. They never liked the same things, preferred other colours, some were unable to eat a specific food… He could find many more examples, if necessary. For example, Barney loved getting hugs, and giving them. That wasn't the case of a lot of kids in his class, and many times he had been pushed away. Wasn't that just stupid, now, not liking hugs. Hugs were great, you were close to people and during winter months, that was basically the best warming up you could get when waiting in line for lunch or queuing for the swings in the playground.  
Hopefully his best girl friend, Phil, loved hugs just as much as him. She hadn't been around for much, but he liked her very much. She was barely over being a baby, and didn't walk well, and didn't talk at all. But she was the cutest person he had ever met. She never cried –except once, and he had sworn he’d punch Loki, Thor’s brother- and was very calm. So calm she looked like a mouse. Not a gross one like they've been told were living in the metro, but the nice ones there sometimes was in books and fairytales. Her sneezes actually made her sound like such. She also went along with pretty much everything and everyone, but especially Clint, who didn't have to talk to her or hear her, since she would never talk nor respond.  
None of the teachers had said anything, but Barney was pretty sure she was a mute, just like his baby brother was practically completely deaf. He didn't care, because they could communicate quite easily. Clint and him had tried to teach her some basic sign language, and she was kinda good at it for a baby. She knew yes, no, hi, goodbye and thanks by now. But even without knowing these, she could've made them understand somehow.

The girl was at the time being clutching around his neck, as he carried her to the slides in the playground. He had promised to go down the medium one with her, because she was afraid to go alone. The Summer brothers looked at her with curiosity, but she hid away –he was glad for her little nose on his neck’s skin, and her hair overflowing on his face. After glaring at the two boys, Barney set her down, still holding her hand on his to make her walk to the structure. He helped her up the ladder, used, thanks to Clint, to little kids needing a push on the bum; and followed her up. She looked down the slide, sticking her thumb in her mouth, and then looking up to him.  
“C’mere, youw need a ponytail at least, Pheel. Yo hair will annoy youw.”  
She nodded her thanks, and he quickly made the hairdo –he had proven to be very good at these-, tucking her hair in her navy-coloured coat. He sat near the slide, patting his lap, on which she settled hurriedly. The smells overwhelmed him –she still had that baby quality that makes them smell like warmth and softness, but her shampoo and her Mama’s perfume were still clinging to her from this morning. He loved it, smelling her. The boy gave a chuckle and securely held her waist as he pushed them down the slide.  
It was quite magical. Phil’s hair still got a bit out and in his face, but not as much as to really be annoying; her squeal of terror at the speed they've taken soon turned into glee, and they arrived safe at the end. Barney was laughing and she was batting her hands, cheeks pink from joy and maybe a bit from cold. He kissed her head, and she cuddled up to him, her tiny hands gripping his scarf. He wrapped his arms around her, marvelling again at how cute and tiny she was. One of his arms could hold her entirely around her waist, wasn't that fantastic? They hugged for a little while, until the bell ringed the end of recess, and he wordlessly proposed his back to carry her back to the class. She wasn't too heavy when carried like that, and laughed all the way, clinging to his coat with her feet kicking his sides.

This had been a very good day, because Phil had stayed a lot with him, and Clint had even stopped battling with other kids long enough to hang around them. This morning she had eaten the collation with his brother, trying to avoid an overeager Steven who had wanted to compare her drawings to his, and he couldn't have helped but smirked at the blond boy’s distress at her unreceptiveness.  Moreover, she had napped with him, and he very much liked that. Because Phil had decided his chest was a good pillow, and she slept like that, head on his stomach or shoulder, often holding hands with Clint (that part was less good), who was tucked under his other arm. Still, it was better than to see her asleep with David, who he was sure didn't even enjoy the fact that afterwards, their clothes would smell of her.  
She was his favourite person ever, especially because she let him brush her hair with Nat’s brush, and he’d make her hairdos any time it was possible. Her Mama now brought her with her hair loose on the mornings, and he’d make her a plat, or braids, and once he even did a dancer bun. She’d sit very still and wouldn't cry ever, swinging her legs and turning her head just like he asked her.  
The lunches she would stay with David, and sometimes Bruce, but she had never shared her food with Clint or him. Even Thor had gotten a bit of her pb&j sandwich the other day. That was mainly due to David, who would stare at their “dirty” hands and tell her to not stay around them just before and during eating time. Barney was quite sure that was a ruse to have Phil only for him, in a way. That was a bit low, he had to say, because they were never sick because of their hands. Plus they always washed them before eating, so the accusation was completely unfair.

The day was nearly finished, now, and Phil’s Mama would soon come to get her back. She was a very beautiful woman, and Barney was always a bit impressed. Unlike most ladies he knew, she dressed with smart clothes, always in pale, calming colours that he thought were possible to assimilate with her personality. He still remembered the big bag of candy she had given the teachers for them all on Phil’s first day.  
(The lollipop he had chosen had made his first teeth come loose.)   
Clint usually whined when their friend had to go, but she kissed his cheek goodbye and he calmed down. She was a very good influence on his little brother, he thought as he put her down, holding her hand to lead her to her spot at the drawing table. David was already there, greeting them with one of his toothy grins, and she hugged him, quickly forgetting about Barney.  
He didn't feel too bad about it, because he had lots of friends, and he understood, being an old kid, that it was better to have several people you liked and who liked you than just one. After watching her reaching for the colorful set of drawing supplies, he turned his gaze to face the rest of the room. He decided to go find James and Sam and race with them between the tables. It wasn't the funniest game, because he won most of the time, but afterwards they’d sit and talk about nothing and everything at the same time, and he found that quite cool, even if they were younger than him. As that was a things kids did, they usually talked about their classmates. James did a lot. Well, James spoke mostly about Natasha.  
“Nat still don’t like me”, he whined this day.  
“Is becose youw like evyone, Jamie,” he was told by the two others, now used to his rants about the read-headed girl.  
“It’s Bucky!”  
Sam rolled his eyes, and Barney chuckled. The little boy had discovered his second name a few days ago, and preferred it to his actual one. Problem was, it was long and difficult to pronounce, so for the moment, it was just “Bucky”, and he was determined to get everyone to call him that. Clint had already changed it to “Bucket”, and giggled a lot about it.  
“I like Stephen.” Sam blurted out. The two others blinked, the boy was usually quiet on this sort of subject.  
“Youw have an opponent then,” chuckled Barney, “Pheel gets red when he juss look her way.”  
He met two desolated faces. “Wot?”  
“Nothin’,” was Sam’s answer. He was grinning widely, though. Barney squinted and looked at James.  
“’M petty sure she in lobe wif you, o Clint, o Dafeed.”

That was pretty big news. The little girl just didn't seem to be excellent friends with anyone else, that was all. She actually played with Pepper, from the other class, during recesses, and also several others, like the other James, and Bruce and Natasha in their class… But now that he thought of it, it was kind of clear that most of her time was spend with them. He smiled, very happy about that, but decided to make clear that he didn't care, even if he did. Because he felt like it was a cool secret to have, really, because no one had ever wanted to be boy or girlfriends with him. He had tried, many times, asking his classmates out on the playground’s wooden castle to eat a bag of chips or chocolates; giving out flowers to the girls and marbles to the boys; being cuddly and nice and everything. And he had to say, Phil was the only one who had been happily accepting his gifts and cuddled him back. Maybe they were right. Still, he wasn't going to confirm.  
What a complicated life he was leading.  
“She dun. She, you know, Mr. Deevit say she needs the same people around because she’s small.”  
“Yeah, she still a baby. A very pwetty baby.”  
“Dun annoy her, _James_.”  
“It’s BUCKY.”

It could’ve gone like this for a good while, but Phil’s Mama had just arrived. He picked up on her voice, and ran back to David –and Clint, apparently- walking Phil to Mr. Jones and the woman. He barely heard his two friends cackling in the background. He stood behind the three smaller kids, smiling up at the adults, and Mr. Jones nodded at him with a big warm smile. He looked at Phil’s mom picking her up from the two boys’ hands, and they said bye and ran off, David looking back several times before joining Clint on his watching-the-babies duty. He stayed there, listening inattentively, because he was watching Phil. He was sure she had just told her Mama something, and woman said, “That’s good, Phil!” before focusing back on Mr. Jones’ sayings. Barney was a bit thrown aback.  
Phil could speak, but she didn't talk to them. He felt angry, and a bit worried, because he could do with mute, but Phil purposefully not talking to them was sad. He’d talk about it to the teachers if it kept up. He waved to the little girl, yelling his goodbye down the hall as she smiled from her mother’s arms.


	4. The Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on, faces reappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I got caught up in school, family, friends. And probably will again...

Clint yawned. Today wasn’t a good day, the sounds around him like caught in cotton. He heard his own blood pumping in his ears better than the screeches of the kids around him. To be fair, he didn’t even hear his own voice correctly.  
He flinched as a hand tapped his. He lowered his gaze to look at Phil, smiling up at him. He crouched down, enlacing her as she put her small nose against his cheek, cold from the outside weather. The winter was being quite harsh, this year. Her kisses were like butterflies today, soft and her smell hanging around them both. He burrowed his head in her hair as she clung on his waist.  
“Hullo, Phiw. Good?”  
She nodded, silent as usual. He smiled. Precious, precious Phil, whom he didn’t need to hear since she didn’t speak. Barney said she did, but he didn’t believe it. Why would she stay mute around school, and her friends? That didn’t make any sense.

He spent his morning drawing calmly with the little girl. What was great is that they always drew together on the same sheet, and it felt good. Today’s drawing was a pretty house, with a girl and three boys (that was Them, he could only suppose, since Phil drew the characters) and he added several dogs. Clint loved dogs a lot. He liked pretty much all animals, but dogs a lot. He also liked bows a lot, and Barney said he was good with the class’s toy bow and arrows.  
Phil had taken her lunch with David as usual, letting a few drops of bolognese sauce stain her blue woolen sweater, to the blond boy’s horror. Clint had shown his own very dirty t-shirt to make her feel better, had she had giggled at David's scowl. The day was getting better with every minute, because making Phil happy was always a good thing. Even David had smiled, after a beat. Barney had scolded him for being so careless, but Clint didn’t, in fact, care a lot.

Presently, he was playing with the bow and arrows. Kate was sucking on the tip of one of the latters, even if he kept batting her hands to make her let go of it. Barney was talking with David about something –too far, a shoulder hiding their mouths- and Phil’s weight on his side told him she was probably asleep. She woke up when David approached, his shadow making Kate babble angrily, not forming words yet.  
No one could understand this baby, anyway.

“Hi, Clint. Would youw lend me the bow?” he enunciated clearly, shaping his words with care.  
“Nuh. Youw dun know ‘ow t’shoot.”  
“Okay, let’s make a bet. If youw tush Mistah Deevit, youw can keep eet.”

He frowned. What was that even about, shooting fake baby arrows at the teacher? But David’s expression was one of dare, and little Phil was looking up at him with lots of questions in her eyes. David raised an eyebrow. Clint huffed, targeted the teacher’s back, and shot. The toy projectile touched the man softly, and he didn’t even wince, busy doing numbers with James and Sam. He fired another arrow, but no reaction either. David was cackling, but Phil patted his cheek. He turned his eyes to her.  
She was frowning, nearly scowling, like he had made a big bad thing.

“Wot?”  
“Dun mind her, Clint… I bet you can’t touch ‘im sree times in a row.”

Phil made an angry bubbly sound, much like Kate's. The boys both looked at her, and she wildly shook her head, still frowning and now pouting as well. She pulled his sleeve down, but he gently shrugged her off, pointing the bow at the teacher.  
A tiny hand was put on his forehead. He jerked, surprised, and it was definitely Phil’s hand. Slowly, very slowly, she dragged it down his face; on his eye, on his cheek, and it tiny bit on his mouth. He looked at her again, and her eyes were sad under her furrowed brows. With a final tap on his hand, she made him drop the arrow, and bent to pick it up. Clint blinked several times. What was wrong with girls?

“Pheel! Give that back to Clint, now!” demanded David.  
“Peaze, Phiw.” He added.

She hugged the toy, shaking her head. David extended his hand and she scrambled back, sticking her tongue out. The boy’s eyes widened and Clint clasped a hand over his mouth. David hated all things not clean, and he had always said sticking your tongue out was disgusting. The little girl was still standing her ground. He balled his hands into fists, and glared. Barney had arrived at the first shout, and took Phil by the shoulders gently, talking in a soft voice he couldn’t hear. She kept shaking her head, eyes glistening (he hoped she wouldn’t cry, because crying was bad).  
The moment was interrupted by Mr. Jones’s voice, asking for a gathering. Clint extended his hand, but Phil was reluctant. David tugged on her sweater, Barney tried to put her up on her feet, but she was wiggling too much for his brother to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her. Mr. Dewitt approached them.

“What’s the matter, everyone?”  
“Pheel took Clint’s awow and won’t give eet back,” complained David, “and now she won’t geddup for gatherin!”  
“So these arrows were from you, Clint.”

The man looked pretty unfazed by the news, like he was used to that. David was blushing darkly, ready to say something, but was preceded by a low whine.  
Phil was on the verge of crying, had let go of the arrow –Clint got it back immediately- and made grabby hands at Mr. Dewitt. David seemed ready to yell, but a choked sob made his face soften. The teacher was blinking down to the little girl, but quickly crouched, and took her in his arms, shushing her as her thumb flew to her mouth, dropping the bow in a hurry.  
Now deprived of Phil, the three little boys were less than happy to go listen to the teachers. Mr. Jones and Dewitt, while waiting for them, were cooing at Phil to make her feel better. She laid her head on the teacher’s shoulder, as to drift back to sleep. He looked far happier and nicer than usual, the little girl balanced in his arms gave him an air of softness he quite never had on his face. Mr. Jones was staring at his lips, stretched in a smile as the man looked at the kid half-asleep in his own arms.  
Clint sat next to Barney, holding David’s hand. Natasha arrived to sit between his legs, and he threw his other arm around her. He didn’t hear Mr. Jones very well, but he was sure it was about the yearly project, because everyone seemed unusually invested in the speech. The yearly projects were always interesting; last year they had studied weird funny paintings from European dead people. And reproduced them –that had been the most fun he’d ever had. Barney had not, because Clint had painted him on his canvas all weird, with a big nose and wild eyes and his hair all fiery atop. The drawings, hanged on the walls, displayed bright colors and big bold lines for everyone to see, as soon as they entered the room. Most kids were always quite proud to show their parents the works of art.

“It’s abot this year project,” murmured Barney in his ear.  
“Guess so!” he answered with a little smile.  
“We gonna save penguins, dey say,” added David helpfully.

Nat hushed them all as Mr. Dewitt, Phil still in his arms, put on a video. They watched a little documentary, and none of them had ever cried this much about penguins and baby polar bears. The whole thing was extremely sad, and even with his lessened hearing, Clint understood there was a big problem about all the white stuff (he thought there was too much to be snow) disappearing. He was gonna tell everyone that baby penguins, with their little arms, were now his favourite animals. They also made him think of Phil, with their fluffy grey feathers and disorganized running around. After that, Mr. Jones answered their questions, and gave them some time to stop crying -Steve's nose was running very bad, and Bruce seemed extremely upset, that was never good- before telling them about how cars made the air too hot for ice to stay okay in the far north.  
That's how Barney put it, at least. He had never been a good storyteller.  
However, that was their yearly project : trying to save the penguins. A zoo visit was planned, as well as the seeing of several movies about penguins -he had already see Happy Feet, but he liked this movie a lot so it was okay- and the making of panels about how to help save them with little everyday life’s acts. They talked about another day out, but Clint didn’t even paid attention anymore, he couldn’t hear after all, so what was the point, really.

A person asked for Mr. Dewitt's attention, who exited the class after putting Phil in his colleague's arms, which she didn't really like, judging by her wriggling. The explications went interrupted by Mr. Jones's presence being asked of too, and he took Phil with him in the corridor -it wasn't like the little girl could annoy them by babbling incessantly.  
The kids exchanged looks; they usually were never left alone like that, the matter must have been Very Important. The door had been left open, which meant they couldn't be too noisy, but no adult was really present. Clint turned to Barney, still clutching David's hand.

"Wot ees 'appenin?"  
"Dunno," replied his brother shortly. He was frowning, and David's voice rose, "Mebbe it's another new kid?"  
"Could be," agreed Bruce on his other side.  
"I 'ope it's another girl, den," mumbled Natasha. "We not enough to take power."

The little boys winced, because Natasha was a bit scary sometimes. They could all be a bit scary in their own way -no one was really over David's first day, where he had slowly dismantled a Barbie doll and cut her hair all choppy- but Natasha had won every dodge ball game just thanks to her glaring abilities.  
When they came back, the teachers had big, broad grins on their faces and the pupils exchanged looks once again. Even Tony had stopped babbling about his latest Lego construction and asked aloud, "Wat is iiiiit?". Phil, back in Mr. Dewitt's arms, was looking at their group and bouncing with excitement, so the theory of the new kid was still standing.  


"We'll finish this presentation later. For the moment, Mr. Dewitt and I have a big announcement and surprise for you guys."  
"Who do you miss a lot, class? All of you?"

Clint felt his heart speed up. He liked guessing things; because it could prove the others he was smart even without hearing and getting angry over people talking not clearly enough.

"Ees da surprise a kid?"  
"Yes, they are, Clint."  
"Ees eet a boy?"  
"Indeed."

He made a strangled noise of happiness, the others more or less following his reasoning. Natasha had perked up, Tony and Barney too. David was frowning. Clint moved Natasha aside and got up to stand wobbly, and ran to the men, half the class following him. Phil was set down and clung to him and David, a big grin on her face.  
A boy, taller than them all and definitely older was ushered inside. The red shock of his hair was brighter than Natasha's or Barney's, and no mistake could be done, even with the big glasses eating most of his upper face. A loud shout made of several little voices erupted in the class.

"MATTY!"

Soon enough, the boy was surrounded by the other kids, laughing, asking about them and sternly reprimanding their pushing around with his white stick. In the confusion, no one, and certainly not Clint, saw Barney talking gravely to the teachers.


End file.
